What type of coffee beans are best for flash brew coffee?

What beans are best for flash brew coffee?

Flash brew, also called Japanese iced coffee, is hot coffee brewed directly over ice. The ice chills it instantly, which keeps aroma and brightness. Because of that, many roaster guides recommend light to medium roasts of good arabica beans with fruity or floral notes. Common suggestions include single-origin coffees from Ethiopia and Kenya, and also Colombia, Costa Rica or Guatemala.

Sources do disagree. Darker roasts give a sweeter, bolder, caramel-like cup and work too if you prefer that taste. Light roasts are more acidic and citrusy.

Roast guide

How to make flash brew

1. Heat water to about 208 degrees F (98 degrees C).
2. Grind the coffee medium-fine, like table salt. Start near 1 part coffee to 15 parts water, using more coffee for a stronger brew.
3. Place a rinsed paper filter in a pour-over dripper and add the coffee.
4. Put ice in the serving glass or carafe and set the dripper on top. Because the ice melts into the coffee, count it as part of your water.
5. Bloom: pour just enough water to wet the grounds and wait 30 to 45 seconds.
6. Pour the rest slowly in circles. Brewing takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Stir so the coffee chills evenly and the layers mix.

Tips

• Use beans within a few weeks of the roast date, and grind just before brewing.
• If it tastes bitter, grind a little coarser. If sour or weak, grind a little finer or use more coffee.
• Freeze coffee into cubes to avoid dilution.

Storage

Remove leftover ice before refrigerating. One guide says black flash brew keeps 3 to 5 days in an airtight container, and with milk 1 to 2 days. Treat that as a guide and use your senses.

Common mistakes

• Using stale or oily dark beans, which taste flat over ice.
• Forgetting that ice dilutes the cup; reduce the hot water to match.
• Using a very coarse grind that under-extracts.